UC-NRI 


3D?    S7fl 


OM  CORN 
CULTURE 


G.  MQCALL 


DEPT-OF-AGRtCULTUR£- 

Div-  OF- PLANT-PRODUCTS 

LABORATORY-  SERVICES 


See.a  3  -  - 


mi 


DEP'T   Of 
AGRICULTURE 


BROOM-CORN 
CULTURE 


By 
A.  G.  McCALL 

II 

Professor  of  Agronomy  in  the  College  of  Agriculture 
Ohio  State  University 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 
ORANGE  JUDD  COMPANY 

LONDON 

KEGAN  PAUL,  TRENCH,  TRUBNER  &  CO.,  Limited 
1912 


Copyright,  1912.  by 

ORANGE  JUDD  COMPANY 

All  Rights  Reserved 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall 
LONDON,  ENGLAND 


•     - 


PRINTED  IN  U.  S.  A. 


PREFACE 

This  little  book  is  written  in  response  to  a  demand 
for  information  concerning  the  culture  of  broom- 
corn. 

For  this  information  the  author  has  drawn  upon 
his  own  experience  in  growing  the  crop,  and  has 
supplemented  this  with  the  recent  experience  of 
practical  growers  and  experiment  station  workers. 

The  writer  is  indebted  to  Mr.  C.  P.  Hartley  of  the 
United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  and  to 
several  experiment  stations  for  photographs  and 
other  material  used  in  the  preparation  of  this 
volume. 

A.  G.  McCALL. 
Columbus,  Ohio,  1912. 


M703574 


CONTENTS 


Chapter 

I.  Production  of  Broom-Corn  .............        I 


II.  The  Broom-Corn  Plant  ................  6 

III.  Soil  and  Climatic  Conditions  ...........  12 

IV.  Date  and  Method  of  Planting  ...........  16 

V.  The  Importance  of  Good  Seed  ..........  20 

VI.  Testing  the  Vitality  of  the  Seed  ........  25 

VII.  Enemies  of  Broom-Corn  ...............  27 

VIII.  Harvesting  Broom-Corn  ...............  29 

IX.  Broom-Corn  By-Products  ..............  47 

X.  The  Manufacture  of  Brooms  ...........  49 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Figure  Page 

Map  showing   yield    of    broom-corn    in    the    United 
States Frontispiece 

1.  Characteristic  heads  of  sorghums 7 

2.  Desirable    seed   heads   of    the    dwarf    and    standard 

types   8 

3.  Good  and  poor  heads  of  broom-corn 10 

4.  Coarse  imported  brush  and  good  domestic  heads 9 

5.  A  good  sample  of  broom-corn  from  Kentucky 11 

6.  Sorghum,  broom-corn  and  a  cross  between  the  two  21 

7.  Undesirable  brush   23 

8.  Tabling  broom-corn  in  advance  of  the  cutters 30 

9.  The  tabled  broom-corn  ready  for  cutting 32 

10.  The  brush  cut  and  laid  on  the  table 34 

11.  Dump  wagon  for  hauling  the  brush  from  the  field—  36 

12.  Small  power  scraper  for  removing  the  seed  from  the 

brush 37 

13.  Threshing  broom-cofn  with  a  large  power  scraper__  38 

14.  Curing  shed  for  broom-corn 40' 

15.  Interior  of  a  shed  in  which  light  poles  are  used  for 

shelves    41 

16.  Baling  the  crop 42: 

17.  A    well-constructed   bale    of    broom-corn    as    it    was 

received  at  the  factory 44 

18.  Dwarf  broom-corn  in  the  shock 46 

19.  Tread-power  machine  for  the  manufacture  of  brooms 

by  hand 51 

20.  Broom-corn  sizer  for  assorting  the  brush  according 

to  length  52" 

21.  Broom-winding  machine  used  in  large  factories 54 

22.  Broom-stitcher 56 

23.  Clipper  for  trimming  the  ends  of  the  brooms 57 

24.  Small  power  scraper  with  fan  for  carrying  away  the 

seeds  and  dust 58: 


CHAPTER  I 
PRODUCTION  OF  BROOM-CORN 

Broom-corn  is  grown  almost  exclusively  in 
America.  In  former  times  the  Mohawk  Valley  in 
New  York  and  the  rich  first  bottom  lands  of  Ohio 
and  adjacent  states  supplied  the  market  demand  for 
this  crop.  But  with  the  opening  of  the  west  the 
center  of  production  has  shifted,  and  Oklahoma  has 
taken  first  rank  among  the  states  in  the  production 
of  broom-corn,  with  an  acreage  more  than  five  times 
as  great  as  any  other  state. 

According  to  the  Thirteenth  Census  (1909)  there 
are  now  eight  states  each  of  which  produces  more 
than  300,000  pounds  of  brush  annually.  A  list  of 
the  states,  with  their  acreage,  yield  and  production 
is  given  in  Table  I,  on  the  following  page. 

At  the  present  time  the  amount  of  broom-corn 
grown  in  New  York  and  Ohio  is  quite  small.  From 
an  inspection  of  the  production  table  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  yield  per  acre  is  very  much  larger  in  some 
states  than  in  others.  Illinois,  with  a  planting  of 
38,450  acres,  produced  more  than  twice  as  many 
pounds  of  brush  as  Kansas,  with  a  planting  of  40,- 
065  acres,  and  almost  half  as  many  pounds  as  Okla- 
homa, whose  planting  is  almost  six  times  as  exten- 
sive. Of  the  states  producing  more  than  300,000 
pounds  of  brush,  California  has  the  highest  yield 
per  acre,  while  the  lowest  yield  is  found  in  New 
Mexico. 


BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 


TABLE     I.      STATEMENT      SHOWING      THE      NUMBER      OF 

FARMS,  NUMBER  OF  ACRES,  NUMBER  OF  POUNDS,  AND 

VALUE    OF   BROOM-CORN,    BY    STATES,    FOR    THE 

CROP    YEAR    1909.      CENSUS   OF    IQIO. 


State 

Number 
of  farms 

Acres 

Yield 
(pounds) 

Value 

Alabama  . 

115 

52 

17,910 

1,562 

Arizona 

1 

14 

6  000 

400 

Arkansas 

294 

332 

106  576 

8  198 

California 

24 

1  023 

614250 

32509 

Colorado 

240 

5  631 

1  187  791 

71  717 

Connecticut 

2 

150 

14 

Delaware 

21 

13 

4198 

492 

Georgia... 

8 

22 

7,067 

694 

Illinois 

1,854 

38,452 

19309425 

1  457  172 

Indiana  

335 

323 

153,259 

13,461 

Iowa       ..  . 

49 

156 

75,370 

6670 

Kansas 

1,728 

41  064 

8  768  853 

593  947 

Kentucky  

1,041 

342 

157,286 

13,641 

Louisiana 

263 

320 

92208 

7  285 

Maryland  

291 

19 

18,599 

2,006 

Massachusetts 

2 

2 

2,160 

168 

Michigan 

9 

4 

2200 

233 

Minnesota  

13 

13 

10,259 

738 

Mississippi 

43 

154 

60,574 

5548 

Missouri 

1  225 

5  339 

1  774  536 

115  243 

Nebraska 

51 

458 

157,146 

11,116 

New  Jersey 

10 

11 

6  760 

658 

New  Mexico 

368 

4,470 

644,892 

33,492 

New  York. 

10 

2 

1  001 

97 

North  Carolina  

128 

15 

6,493 

549 

North  Dakota 

3 

18 

7  250 

725 

Ohio 

383 

170 

92292 

9116 

Oklahoma  

10,151 

216,350 

42,741,725 

2,559,235 

Pennsylvania 

727 

108 

45,582 

6253 

South  Carolina 

3 

2 

650 

63 

South  Dakota       

14 

64 

35,400 

3,408 

Tennessee 

2,220 

1,348 

347,064 

27  733 

Texas  .. 

jS. 

9,448 

2,368,490 

140,533 

Utah 

1 

200 

12 

Virginia 

666 

107 

46016 

3586 

Washington  .. 

5 

183 

45,040 

2,905 

West  Virginia 

397 

45 

30,456 

3,229 

Wisconsin  

12 

28 

14,830 

1,026 

Total 

23,238 

326,102 

"78,959,958 

$5,134,434 

According  to  the  Eleventh  Census  there  were  grown 
in  the  United  States  in  1889,  93,425  acres  of  broom- 
corn,  which  produced  a  total  of  39,557,429  pounds  of 
brush.  By  1899  the  planting  had  been  increased  to 


PRODUCTION    OF    BROOM-CORN  3 

178,584  acres,  with  a  total  production  of  90,947,370 
pounds,  or  an  average  yield  of  509  pounds  per  acre. 

In  1909  the  planting  was  326,102  acres,  which  pro- 
duced 78,959,958  pounds  of  brush,  valued  at 
$5,134,434. 

Of  the  total  crop  produced  in  the  United  States 
in  1879,  the  states  of  Illinois,  Kansas,  Missouri,  New 
York,  Nebraska,  Ohio  and  Iowa  furnished  94  per 
cent. 

In  1889,  Illinois,  Kansas,  Nebraska  and  Missouri 
produced  89  per  cent  of  the  total  crop. 

In  1899,  Illinois,  Kansas,  Missouri,  Oklahoma, 
Nebraska,  Texas,  Iowa,  California  and  Tennessee 
produced  96  per  cent  of  the  crop.  Of  these  states 
California  gave  the  highest  yield,  686  pounds  per 
acre,  and  Oklahoma  the  lowest  yield,  276  pounds. 

In  1909,  four  states,  Oklahoma,  Illinois,  Kansas 
and  Texas,  produced  93  per  cent  of  the  entire  broom- 
corn  crop  of  the  United  States. 

Table  2,  on  the  page  following,  gives  the  acreage 
and  production  for  the  years  1889,  1899  an<^  :9°9»  of 
all  of  the  states  growing  more  than  100  acres. 

A  comparison  of  the  acreage  and  production  for 
individual  years  reveals  a  great  variation,  accom- 
panied by  a  great  fluctuation  in  price.  The  high 
price  of  $150  to  $200  a  ton  which  the  crop  sometimes 
commands  offers  good  profit  to  the  successful 
grower.  His  success  induces  a  large  number  of 
poorly  equipped  farmers  to  plant,  with  the  result 
that  a  large  quantity  of  inferior  brush  is  thrown 
upon  the  market  the  following  year.  The  poor 
quality  of  the  crop  is  due  to  the  inexperience  of  the 


BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 


TABLE   2.       ACREAGE    AND    PRODUCTION    FOR    THE    YEARS 

1889,     1899,    AND     1909    OF    ALL     STATES    AND 

TERRITORIES  GROWING  MORE  THAN    IOO 

ACRES     OF     BROOM-CORN. 


Acres 

Pounds 

State  or  Territory 

1909 

1899 

1889 

1909 

1899 

1889 

Alabama  

52 

152 

61 

17,910 

56,290 

25  698 

Arkansas 

332 

879 

135 

106,576 

304,690 

52  701 

California  

1,023 

1,669 

815 

614,250 

1,146,000 

611,975 

Colorado. 

5,631 

1,241 

301 

1,187,791 

226,550 

60  165 

Florida 

34 

171 

3390 

196  820 

Illinois  

38,452 

95,137 

34,340 

19,309,425 

60,665,520 

15,932  502 

Indiana  . 

323 

815 

413 

153,259 

384170 

157  231 

Indian  Territory. 
Iowa.... 

156 

397 
2,220 

i,ios 

75,370 

147,020 
1,178,130 

567072 

Kansas  

41,064 

34,383 

30,717 

8,768,853 

11,813,310 

10,869,434 

Kentucky  
Louisiana  

342 
320 

839 
107 

195 
24 

157,286 
92,208 

384,550 
41,120 

93,063 
11,420 

Minnesota  . 

13 

149 

80 

10,259 

76,960 

42,090 

Mississippi 

154 

214 

41 

60574 

143  750 

24  776 

Missouri  

5,339 

10,219 

2,618 

1,774,536 

3,693,370 

1,051,139 

Nebraska 

458 

6,627 

16,792 

157  146 

2,733,290 

6,514  763 

New  Mexico 

4470 

14 

102 

644  892 

5  800 

24  500 

New  York 

2 

356 

993 

1  001 

201,060 

450,380 

Ohio  

170 

802 

1,574 

92,292 

537,160 

801,957 

Oklahoma 

216,350 

12,366 

59 

42,741,725 

3,418,490 

16,550 

Pennsylvania  
South  Dakota  
Tennessee 

108 
64 
1,343 

221 
239 
3,444 

57 
237 
1,439 

45,582 
35,400 
347,064 

114,610 
100,570 
1,015,460 

36,319 
117,200 
409,436 

Texas 

9448 

3,743 

596 

2368490 

1  638  150 

315  741 

Virginia  

107 

1,762 

140 

46,016 

663,390 

43,159 

Washington 

183 

45  040 

Wisconsin  

28 

64 

157 

14,830 

38,850 

92,468 

grower  and  his  inability  to  take  care  of  the  brush. 
The  marked  decline  in  price  which  follows  this  over- 
production of  low-grade  material  discourages  many 
farmers,  and  the  acreage  is  greatly  reduced  for  the 
next  season. 

In  1881,  Illinois  grew  17,800  acres,  and  the  aver- 
age price  received  for  the  crop  was  $128  a  ton.  The 
year  following,  43,000  acres  were  planted  and  the 
price  declined  to  $80  a  ton.  This  low  price  prevailed 
until  1891,  when,  with  a  planting  of  15,800  acres, 


PRODUCTION   OF   BROOM-CORN  5 

the  price  went  up  to  $117  a  ton.  An  increased  acre- 
age the  following  year  sent  the  price  down  to  $94. 

In  1909  the  partial  failure  of  the  crop  in  Oklahoma 
sent  the  price  up  to  more  than  $200  a  ton  and  neces- 
sitated the  importation  of  a  small  amount  of  brush 
from  Europe. 

Practically  all  of  the  broom-corn  produced  in  the 
United  States  is  made  into  brooms  in  this  country. 
The  export  trade  amounts  to  about  $425,000  a  year, 
of  which  a  very  large  share  is  with  Canada  and 
Cuba.  The  shipment  of  broom-corn  from  this  coun- 
try has  increased  from  $240,164  in  1906  to  $424,484 
in  1910. 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  BROOM-CORN  PLANT 

Broom-corn  belongs  to  the  great  group  of  plants 
known  as  the  grass  family.  Within  the  grass  family 
are  a  large  number  of  groups,  one  of  which  is  known 
as  the  sorghums.  The  sorghums  are  divided  into 
three  groups:  (i)  Kafir  corn,  grown  for  forage  and 
for  grain;  (2)  common  sweet  sorghum,  used  for 
making  syrup;  and  (3)  broom-corn,  the  brush  or 
seed  head  of  which  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
brooms. 

Broom-corn  differs  from  the  other  plants  of  the 
sorghum  group  in  having  the  seed  borne  on  long 
straight  branches,  which  constitute  the  brush  from 
which  the  brooms  are  made. 

In  all  probability  these  three  different  groups  of 
sorghums  have  been  derived,  by  selection,  from  a 
common  ancestry.  Sorghums  have  been  cultivated 
in  Italy  for  eighteen  hundred  years  or  more,  and  it 
is  thought  that  the  broom-corn  type  originated  in 
that  country  by  the  continual  selection  of  the  sweet 
sorghum  heads  which  bore  elongated  branches. 
The  first  record  of  this  plant  having  been  used  for 
the  manufacture  of  brooms  is  from  an  Italian  source. 

Varieties. — There  are  two  recognized  agricultural 
varieties  of  broom-corn,  the  dwarf  and  the  standard. 

The  dwarf  type  produces  leafy  stalks  3  to  6  feet 
in  height,  with  a  brush  10  to  18  inches  long.  The 
head,  or  brush,  is  partially  inclosed  in  the  upper 
leaf  sheath  or  boot. 


THE    BROOM-CORN    PLANT 


The  standard  type  grows  to  a  height  of  10  to  15 
feet  and  produces  a  brush  18  to  24  inches  in  length, 
which  grows  out  beyond  the  leaf  sheath. 


B 


Fig.  1.     Characteristic   heads   of  sorghum.      A,   broom-corn;    B,   sweet   sor- 
ghum; and  C,  kafir  corn. 

The  brush  of  the  standard  type  is  used  for  mak- 
ing large  carpet  and  stable  brooms,  while  the  fine 
brush  from  the  dwarf  corn  is  used  largely  for  the 
manufacture  of  small  hearth  brooms  and  whisk 
brooms  for  clothing.  For  making  large  brooms  the 
dwarf  corn  is  not  so  desirable  as  the  standard  type, 
because  the  straws  are  weak  and  less  durable,  but 


BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 


Fig.  2.     Desirable  seed  heads  of  the  dwarf  (A)  and  the  standard  (B)   types. 


THE    BROOM-CORN    PLANT 


for  whisk  brooms  the  demand  is  for  straw  that  is 
fine,  straight,  tough,  elastic  and  of  a  uniform  green 
color  without  red  tints. 

The  dwarf  type  does  not  produce  as  heavy  a  yield 
of  brush  as  the  standard,  but  the  former  commands 
a  very  much  higher  price  on  the  market. 

Standard  and  dwarf  heads  exhibiting  desirable 
and  undesirable  characteristics  are  shown  in  Figure 
3.  Dwarf  heads,  inclosed 
in  the  upper  leaf  sheath, 
are  shown  at  A  and  B,  while 
C  represents  a  dwarf  head  of 
fine  quality  of  brush.  Con- 
trasted with  this  is  the  large 
dwarf  head  D,  which  is 
weak  at  the  attachment  of 
the  straws.  The  other  heads 
shown  in  the  drawing  repre- 
sent good  and  poor  grades 
of  standard  heads. 

Occasionally,  when  the 
domestic  supply  is  not  equal 
to  the  demand,  a  small  quan- 
tity of  foreign  grown  brush 
is  imported.  The  imported 
material  has  coarse,  brittle, 
straw,  as  shown  at  A  in 
Figure  4.  It  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  coarse 
heavy  stable  brooms,  and  to  some  extent  it  is 
worked  into  the  centers  of  the  low-grade  house 
brooms. 

Our  seedsmen  sell  broom-corn  seed  under  several 


Fig.  4.  Coarse  imported 
brush  (A)  and  good  domes- 
tic heads  (B).  The  former 
is  used  in  the  manufacture 
of  coarse  stable  brooms. 


10 


THE    BROOM-CORN    PLANT 


II 


different  varietal  names,  some  of  which  are  as  fol- 
lows :  Improved  Evergreen,  Tennessee  Evergreen, 
Missouri  Evergreen, 
Imported  Evergreen, 
California  Golden,  Lit- 
tle Dwarf,  Dwarf  Em- 
erald and  Mohawk. 
Several  of  our  experi- 
ment stations  are  con- 
ducting variety  tests 
of  broom-corn,  but 
these  have  not  been 
conducted  for  a  suffi- 
cient length  of  time  to 
be  of  practical  value. 
The  quality  of  the 
brush  from  which  the 
seed  was  selected  and 
the  quality  of  the  seed  itself  is  of  more  importance  to 
the  purchaser  than  the  varietal  name  under  which 
the  seed  is  sold. 


Fig.  5.  A  good  sample  of  broom- 
corn  from  Kentucky,  which  took 
first  place  at  the  National  Com 
Exposition  (1911)  at  Columbus, 
Ohio. 


CHAPTER  III 
SOIL  AND  CLIMATIC  CONDITIONS 

A  soil  that  will  produce  a  good  crop  of  corn  is 
well  suited  to  the  production  of  standard  broom- 
corn.  A  lighter,  sandy  soil  is  better  adapted  to  the 
production  of  the  dwarf  type.  The  rich  corn  soils 
have  a  tendency  to  produce  a  coarse  brush,  while  the 
light  sandy  loams  produce,  when  planted  to  the 
dwarf  varieties,  a  short,  fine,  tough  brush  which  is 
in  great  demand  for  the  manufacture  of  fine  whisk 
brooms. 

For  the  production  of  a  good  crop  of  long  stand- 
ard brush  a  fertile  soil  is  required,  but  the  rich  bot- 
tom lands  that  are  subjected  to  overflow  should  be 
avoided,  because  the  weeds  will  give  trouble  during 
the  early  part  of  the  season  when  the  broom-corn 
is  making  slow  growth.  Soils  that  are  badly  in- 
fested with  weeds  should  not  be  planted  to  this  crop, 
because  of  the  large  amount  of  hand  labor  that  will 
be  necessary  to  keep  the  weeds  in  check  until  the 
plants  are  large  enough  to  cultivate. 

The  production  of  high-grade  broom-corn,  how- 
ever, is  more  dependent  upon  climatic  conditions 
than  upon  the  character  of  the  soil  upon  which  it  is 
grown.  The  plant  is  of  a  subtropical  origin  and  does 
best  in  a  warm,  sunny,  climate  where  there  is  suffi- 
cient moisture  during  the  early  part  of  the  season 
to  produce  a  rapid,  healthy  growth.  It  is  very  essen- 

12 


SOIL   AND    CLIMATIC    CONDITIONS  13 

tial,  however,  that  dry  weather  prevail  at  harvest 
time,  in  order  that  the  brush  may  be  dried  rapidly 
and  in  a  manner  that  will  enable  it  to  retain  its  fresh 
green  color.  Localities  in  which  frequent  rains 
occur  at  the  time  when  the  brush  should  be  har- 
vested will  be  found  unsuited  to  the  production  of 
broom-corn.  Rain  at  the  time  the  plants  are  ripen- 
ing will  cause  some  of  the  heads  to  turn  red  and  thus 
materially  reduce  the  quality  of  the  brush.  Ex- 
posure to  rain  after  the  heads  are  cut  causes  the 
straw  to  lose  its  fresh,  green  color  and  to  take  on  a 
yellow,  bleached  appearance.  Hence  it  is  practically 
impossible  to  produce  a  crop  of  good  quality  unless 
dry  weather  prevails  during  the  normal  ripening 
and  harvesting  period. 

Taking  both  soil  and  climatic  conditions  into  con- 
sideration, it  is  found  that  the  rich  prairie  soils  of 
the  middle  West  are  well  suited  to  the  production  of 
the  standard  type  of  broom-corn,  and  that  the  light, 
dry  soils  of  the  semiarid  regions  of  Kansas  and 
Oklahoma  are  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  the 
dwarf  types. 

Since  such  a  comparatively  small  area  is  devoted 
to  broom-corn,  it  would  be  a  very  easy  matter  to 
increase  the  acreage  devoted  to  the  crop  and  stay 
within  favorable  soil  and  climatic  bounds.  But 
since  the  market  demand  for  the  brush  is  limited, 
it  is  not  probable  that  the  area  devoted  to  broom- 
corn  culture  will  be  greatly  increased  in  the  near 
future. 

The  development  of  the  broom-corn  industry 
should  be  in  the  direction  of  better  cultural  methods 


14  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

and  the  production  of  a  superior  quality  of  brush,  to 
meet  the  demands  of  the  manufacturer  for  a  high- 
grade  material  of  uniform  quality. 

The  Choice  of  Land. — Broom-corn  will  permit  of 
later  planting  than  most  of  the  principal  crops, 
and  for  this  reason  it  is  sometimes  advisable  to  use 
it  as  a  gap  crop  for  replacing  corn,  oats  or  other 
cereals  that  have  failed  to  make  a  good  start. 

As  a  rule,  however,  careful  attention  should  be 
given  to  the  selection  of  the  land  to  be  devoted  to 
broom-corn.  It  is  quite  essential  that  the  soil  of  the 
field  should  be  of  uniform  fertility  and  free  from 
weeds.  A  foul  piece  of  land  planted  to  this  crop 
will  require  a  great  amount  of  labor  to  keep  the 
weeds  from  choking  the  young  plants,  since  the 
broom-corn  makes  a  very  slow  growth  for  the  first 
two  or  three  weeks  until  it  gets  its  root  system  out 
into  the  soil. 

In  localities  where  broom-corn  is  grown  quite 
generally,  it  should  be  made  to  take  a  permanent 
place  in  the  regular  system  of  crop  rotation.  The 
grower  can  then  afford  to  supply  himself  with  dry- 
ing sheds,  scrapers,  a  baling  press  and  other  equip- 
ment necessary  for  the  proper  handling  of  the  crop. 

It  is  unwise  to  make  broom-corn  the  principal 
crop,  as  is  sometimes  done  in  Illinois,  Kansas  and 
Oklahoma.  It  is  much  safer  to  devote  only  a  part 
of  the  farm  to  this  crop  and  hold  the  brush  until 
the  market  permits  of  a  profitable  sale.  If  broom- 
corn  is  grown  exclusively,  the  holding  of  the  brush 
for  a  higher  price  will  entail  a  large  financial  burden, 
and  in  addition  to  this,  the  work  of  the  farm  will  be 


SOIL  AND   CLIMATIC   CONDITIONS  15, 

very  unevenly  distributed  throughout  the  year,  and 
it  will  be  extremely  difficult  to  secure  sufficient  help 
to  harvest  the  crop  and  get  the  brush  properly  cured. 

Preparation  of  the  Seedbed. — The  plowing  and 
the  preparation  of  the  soil  for  broom-corn  should 
be  practically  the  same  as  for  corn.  Winter  or  very 
early  spring  plowing  is  advisable  in  order  that  the 
land  may  retain  the  moisture  derived  from  the  early 
spring  rains,  and  that  the  soil  may  be  worked  down 
thoroughly  in  order  to  sprout  and  destroy  the  weed 
seeds  that  are  in  the  surface  soil.  This  is  quite  es- 
sential because  of  the  fact  that  the  broom-corn  plant 
makes  very  slow  growth  for  several  weeks  after  it 
comes  through  the  soil,  and  unless  the  weed  seeds 
have  been  sprouted  and  destroyed  a  great  deal  of 
extra  labor  will  be  necessary  to  keep  the  weeds 
down  until  the  plants  are  large  enough  to  permit 
of  effective  cultivation. 

The  seedbed  should  be  worked  down  to  a  fine,, 
mellow  condition  by  the  liberal  use  of  the  disk  har- 
row, the  roller  and  the  smoothing  harrow.  Stalks,, 
coarse  manure  or  other  trash  should  be  removed  or 
cut  into  small  pieces  with  the  disk  and  worked  into 
the  soil,  since  their  presence  at  the  surface  will  in- 
terfere seriously  with  the  early  cultivation  of  the 
plants.  The  fine,  mellow  seedbed  is  necessary  in 
order  to  secure  a  uniform  stand  of  plants,  and  to 
insure  a  prompt  and  early  destruction  of  weeds. 


CHAPTER  IV 
DATE  AND  METHOD  OF  PLANTING 

In  Illinois  and  in  the  other  states  of  the  middle 
West,  broom-corn  is  planted  from  the  middle  of 
May  until  the  middle  of  June  and  harvested  in  about 
ninety  days  from  the  date  of  planting.  Where  a 
very  extensive  acreage  is  grown  the  fields  are  planted 
at  intervals  of  a  week  or  ten  days,  in  order  to  pro- 
vide ample  time  for  the  harvesting  of  each  field 
while  the  plants  are  at  the  proper  stage  of  maturity. 

The  best  date  for  planting  will  depend  upon  the 
climatic  conditions  and  upon  the  season,  but  under 
no  conditions  should  the  seed  be  placed  in  the 
ground  until  the  soil  is  warm  enough  to  insure  the 
prompt  sprouting  of  the  seed. 

Broom-corn  will  not  stand  as  early  planting  as 
corn,  for  if  the  seed  is  placed  in  a  cold  soil  it  will 
germinate  very  poorly  and  give  an  irregular  stand 
of  weak  plants.  The  fact  that  it  requires  later  plant- 
ing than  corn  is  a  point  in  favor  of  the  growing  of 
broom-corn,  since  it  permits  of  a  more  satisfactory 
and  equitable  distribution  of  the  spring  work. 

Method  of  Planting. — In  some  regions  it  may  be 
necessary  and  desirable  to  time  the  planting  with 
reference  to  the  weather  conditions  at  harvest  time 
in  order  to  secure  a  dry  season,  during  which  the 
proper  curing  of  the  brush  may  be  effected.  In  Cali- 
fornia the  planting  is  made  about  one  month  earlier 

16 


DATE   AND    METHOD   OF    PLANTING  17 

than  in  Illinois,  in  order  to  have  the  crop  ready  for 
harvest  at  a  time  when  dry  weather  is  most  likely 
to  prevail. 

If  equipped  with  special  broom-corn  plates,  the 
ordinary  corn  planter  may  be  used  for  planting  the 
seed.  If  the  special  plates  are  not  available,  the 
holes  in  the  plates  used  for  planting  corn  may  be 
run  full  of  melted  lead  and  then  bored  out  to  the 
proper  size  for  distributing  the  broom-corn  seed  at 
the  proper  rate. 

For  standard  broom-corn  the  rows  should  be 
about  3J/2  feet  apart  and  the  plants  in  the  rows 
approximately  3  inches  apart,  while  for  the  dwarf 
type  the  rows  should  be  3  feet  apart  and  the  plants 
in  the  rows  about  2  inches  apart. 

Broom-corn  is  sometimes  planted  in  hills  for  con- 
venience in  hoeing  and  cultivating.  In  this  case  the 
hills  are  spaced  about  16  to  18  inches  apart  in  the 
rows,  with  five  or  six  stalks  of  standard  or  eight 
to  ten  stalks  of  the  dwarf  type  to  the  hill.  Three  or 
four  pounds  of  good  seed  is  sufficient  to  plant  an 
acre.  This  rate  of  planting  will  apply  to  fertile 
corn  soils.  If  the  land  is  thin  and  lacking  in  fer- 
tility, the  plants  should  be  farther  apart  in  the 
drills  and  a  fewer  number  of  stalks  should  be  left 
in  the  hills. 

Every  effort  should  be  made  to  secure  an  even 
stand,  in  order  that  the  crop  shall  be  of  uniform 
quality,  but  the  practice  of  planting  a  large  excess 
of  seed  is  to  be  condemned,  since  the  grower  fre- 
quently neglects  to  thin  his  plants  to  the  proper 
stand.  In  fact,  the  thinning  process  is  a  very  labori- 


1 8  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

ous  task,  and  frequently  takes  more  time  than  would 
be  required  to  plant  the  field  a  second  time  in  event 
of  a  partial  failure  of  the  seed  of  the  first  planting. 
The  best  practice  is  to  plant  the  exact  quantity  of 
good  seed ;  then,  if  conditions  are  such  that  a  good 
stand  is  not  secured,  the  entire  field  can  be  culti- 
vated, harrowed  and  planted  again.  On  heavy  clay 
soils  the  seed  should  be  covered  to  a  depth  of  one- 
half  inch,  but  on  light  sandy  loams  one  inch  of  soil 
over  the  seed  will  do  no  harm. 

Care  should  be  taken  to  have  a  sufficient  amount 
of  moisture  in  the  surface  soil  at  planting  time  to 
insure  prompt  germination.  It  is  sometimes  advis- 
able to  roll  the  ground  after  planting  to  bring  the 
soil  in  close  contact  with  the  seed  and  to  induce  the 
movement  of  the  moisture  from  the  subsoil  up  into 
the  seedbed. 

Cultivation. — Cultivation  must  be  commenced 
early  and  repeated  frequently,  to  prevent  weeds 
from  getting  the  start  of  the  slow-growing  young 
plants.  As  hoeing  and  hand  weeding  are  too  ex- 
pensive, large  weeders,  harrows,  and  very  narrow- 
shoveled  cultivators,  with  fenders  to  keep  the  soil 
off  the  plants,  are  employed  until  the  plants  attain 
a  height  of  about  a  foot,  after  which  they  grow  rap- 
idly and  will  thrive  with  the  same  cultivation  as  does 
corn.  Many  find  it  advisable  to  harrow  lengthwise 
with  the  rows  with  a  sharp-toothed  harrow  just  as 
the  plants  are  coming  up.  With  a  wide  harrow  and 
plenty  of  horse-power  this  operation  is  quickly 
accomplished. 

The  plants  will  probably  be  large  enough  to  per- 


DATE   AND   METHOD   OF   PLANTING  IQ 

mit  of  the  use  of  a  regular  corn  cultivator  in  15  to 
20  days  after  planting  if  favorable  weather  condi- 
tions prevail. 

Level  culture  is  most  satisfactory  from  the  be- 
ginning till  the  crop  is  laid  by,  and  will  leave  the 
field  in  good  condition  for  harvesting.  Cultivations 
should  be  frequent  enough  to  keep  the  soil  from 
becoming  crusted  and  hard,  for  in  this  condition  the 
moisture  passes  off  most  quickly,  leaving  the  soil 
dry  and  the  soluble  salts  or  plant  food  at  the  sur- 
face and  entirely  out  of  reach  of  the  roots  of  the 
plants.  An  inch  or  two  of  finely  divided  soil  or  dust 
serves  as  a  thick  blanket  in  conserving  the  moisture 
and  keeping  the  dissolved  plant  food  accessible  to 
the  roots.  Late  in  the  season  the  soil  may  be  stirred 
with  a  one-horse  cultivator  by  going  once  in  a  row 
with  this  implement.  For  this  work  it  should  be 
equipped  with  a  number  of  small  shovels.  This 
practice  is  not  common  in  the  broom-corn  sections, 
but  since  it  gives  good  results  in  the  cultivation  of 
corn,  it  should  be  equally  effective  in  broom-corn 
culture. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  GOOD  SEED 

The  matter  of  good  seed  is  one  of  great  impor- 
tance to  the  grower  of  broom-corn,  since  the  quality 
and  uniformity  of  the  brush  is  dependent  upon  the 
quality  of  the  seed  as  well  as  upon  the  character  of 
the  soil.  When  the  crop  is  harvested  for  the  brush, 
the  seed,  removed  by  the  scraper  in  the  preparation 
of  the  crop  for  market,  is  useless  for  planting  be- 
cause of  its  immature  condition  and  its  low  germi- 
nating power. 

The  farmer  who  is  engaging  in  broom-corn  cul- 
ture in  a  new  locality  should  secure  seed  from  sev- 
eral sources,  and  plant  each  lot  of  seed  in  a  sepa- 
rate patch  located  some  distance  from  any  other 
broom-corn.  It  is  necessary  that  these  test  plots  be 
placed  some  rods  apart  to  prevent  the  cross  fertili- 
zation of  the  plants  during  the  flowering  period  and 
the  consequent  mixing  of  the  different  varieties. 
While  in  the  blooming  period  the  plots  should  be 
harvested,  leaving  in  each  a  few  choice  plants  to 
mature  seed.  The  different  lots  of  brush  should  be 
compared,  and  the  superior  plants  growing  upon  the 
plot  producing  the  best  brush  should  be  allowed  to 
ripen  and  produce  the  seed  for  planting  the  follow- 
ing season.  This  will  enable  the  grower  to  judge 
as  to  the  adaptability  of  the  different  strains  to  his 
locality  and  will  give  him  the  assurance  that  his 
seed  came  from  none  but  good  individual  plants. 

20 


THE    IMPORTANCE   OF    GOOD    SEED 


21 


If  the  isolated  plots  cannot  be  secured,  the  differ- 
ent strains  may  be  tested  side  by  side  in  separate 
rows,  provided  some  of  the  original  seed  is  saved 
for  future  planting.  In  this  case  no 
seed  would  be  saved  from  the  test 
plots,  since  it  would  show  mixture. 

Experienced  growers  may  greatly 
improve  the  quality  of  the  brush 
they  are  producing  by  exercising 
greater  care  in  the  selection  of  seed. 
This  is  particularly  true  in  localities 
where  farmers  are  growing  the 
three  different  classes  of  sorghums, 
namely,  kafir  corn  for  grain  and  for- 
age, sweet  sorghum  for  syrup  and 
the  broom-corn  for  the  brush. 
These  different  plants  hybridize  or 
cross  with  each  other  quite  readily 
when  grown  in  the  same  or  in  adja- 
cent fields.  Sweet  sorghum  crossed 
with  broom-corn  loses  much  of  its 
value  for  syrup  making,  and  kafir 
corn,  when  mixed  with  broom-corn, 
has  its  value  for  forage  greatly  im- 
paired. When  broom-corn  seed  be- 
comes crossed  with  the  other 
sorghums,  the  quality  of  the  brush  will  be  poor. 

Figure  6  shows  three  heads  selected  from  a  field 
of  sorghum  being  grown  for  forage  on  a  farm  where 
broom-corn  is  a  regular  crop.  The  head  shown  to 
the  right  is  a  black-seeded  sorghum  and  to  the  left 
is  seen  a  good  head  of  broom-corn.  The  head  in  the 


The  head 
to  the  right  is 
sorghum,  while 
that  to  the  left 
is  a  good  head 
of  broom-corn. 
Between  the  two 
is  an  intermedi- 
ate form,  the  re- 
sult of  a  cross 
between  sweet 
sorghum  and 
broom-corn. 


22  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

center  is  a  cross  between  the  sweet  sorghum  and  the 
broom-corn  and  exhibits  characters  of  color  and 
form  intermediate  between  the  parent  forms. 

It  is  important,  therefore,  that  the  grower  keep 
his  seed  pure  and  free  from  mixture  with  the  plants 
belonging  to  the  other  groups  of  the  sorghum  fam- 
ily. Furthermore,  it  is  important  that  the  grower 
select  his  seed  exclusively  from  plants  producing 
fine,  straight,  tough,  elastic  straws,  for  the  crop 
grown  from  seed  produced  by  any  particular  plant 
will  be  much  like  the  parent.  If  the  seed  head  is 
coarse  with  a  large  central  stem  or  twisted  straws, 
as  shown  in  Figure  7,  many  heads  of  a  like  kind 
will  be  found  among  its  progeny.  Of  course,  the 
most  carefully  selected  seed  will  not  produce  all 
good  heads,  because  of  the  influence  of  more  remote 
ancestors  of  poor  quality,  but  careful  selection  of 
seed  from  year  to  year  will  greatly  reduce  the  num- 
ber of  poor  individuals,  provided  the  crossing  with 
other  varieties  is  prevented. 

It  is  a  common  practice  to  allow  a  portion  of  the 
general  crop  to  ripen  and  produce  the  seed  for  the 
following  year.  A  separate  seed  patch  will  involve 
more  labor,  but  it  will  be  much  more  satisfactory 
in  the  end.  Such  a  patch  should  be  planted  each 
year  with  the  seed  from  the  choicest  plants  of  the 
seed  plot  of  the  previous  season  and  should  be  suffi- 
.cient  in  size  to  permit  the  grower  to  reject  a  large 
number  of  plants  and  yet  have  a  sufficient  number 
of  individuals  left  to  produce  the  required  amount 
of  seed.  The  careful  breeder  will  often  find  it  de- 
sirable to  reject  ten  plants  for  every  one  which  he 


THE   IMPORTANCE   OF   GOOD   SEED 


selects  for  seed.  All  seed  that  is  intended  for  the 
same  field  should  be  selected  from  plants  that  have 
ripened  at  the  same  time,  in  order  to  avoid  the  an- 
noyance of  having  a  part  of 
the  plants  ready  to  harvest 
before  others  have  reached 
the  proper  stage  of  maturity. 
In  the  principal  seed-pro- 
ducing sections  the  crop  is 
harvested  in  September. 
The  yield  varies  from  1,500 
to  2,500  pounds  to  the  acre, 
from  which  there  will  be  a 
loss  of  about  25  per  cent 
when  the  seed  is  recleaned. 
Good  clean  seed  should 
weigh  45  to  55  pounds  to  the 
measured  bushel.  The  legal 
weight  per  bushel  is  quite 
variable,  ranging  from  30 
pounds  in  Oklahoma  to  42 
pounds  in  Tennessee  and  57 
pounds  in  Minnesota. 
Where  the  seed  is  grown 
commercially,  it  is  removed  from  the  plant  by  means 
of  a  power  stripper,  recleaned  and  stored  in  bulk; 
but  when  the  grower  has  his  own  seed  patch, 
the  seed  is  best  stored  in  the  head.  This  may  be 
done  by  piling  the  heads  in  a  loose  heap  or  by  bunch- 
ing a  number  of  heads  together  and  suspending 
them  from  the  rafters  of  the  attic  or  crib  by  means 
of  a  wire  or  a  stout  twine.  If  the  heads  are  handled 


Fig.  7.  Undesirable  brush  hav- 
ing large  central  stems  and 
twisted  straws.  Seed  should 
be  selected  from  plants  pro- 
ducing fine,  straight  straws. 
If  seed  is  selected  from  heads 
like  the  above,  many  heads  of 
a  like  kind  will  be  found 
among  the  progeny. 


24  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

in  this  way  and  threshed  out  shortly  before  plant- 
ing time,  the  grower  will  be  assured  of  a  good  quality 
of  seed.  Suspending  the  heads  will  protect  the  seed 
from  rats  and  mice  and  avoid  any  danger  from  the 
heating  and  molding  which  might  occur  when  the 
brush  is  stored  in  a  heap  on  the  floor. 


CHAPTER  VI 
TESTING  THE  VITALITY  OF  THE  SEED 

No  grower  can  afford  to  plant  seed  that  has  not 
been  tested  for  vitality.  If  the  seed  has  been  well 
cared  for  and  gives  a  germination  test  of  95  per  cent, 
one  bushel  will  be  sufficient  to  plant  16  to  20  acres. 
If  it  can  be  avoided,  no  seed  should  be  planted  that 
tests  below  90  per  cent.  The  use  of  seed  of  low 
vitality  results  in  an  irregular  stand,  with  the  result 
that  plants  standing  alone  will  produce  a  coarse 
brush  of  poor  quality,  while  the  crowded  plants  will 
be  stunted  and  irregular  in  their  development. 

Two  dinner  plates  and  a  piece  of  heavy  flannel 
cloth  make  a  convenient  tester.  One  hundred  seeds 
are  selected  at  random  and  placed  between  the  folds 
of  the  moistened  cloth.  The  cloth  is  placed  in  one 
of  the  plates,  and  the  other  plate  inverted  over  the 
top  to  prevent  the  cloth  from  drying  out  too  rapidly. 
The  tester  is  then  placed  where  the  temperature 
during  the  day  will  be  70  degrees  to  80  degrees  Fah- 
renheit, and  will  fall  to  50  degrees  during  the  night. 
In  three  or  four  days  the  seed  should  begin  to 
sprout.  The  tester  is  examined  at  intervals  and  the 
sprouted  grains  are  removed  after  having  been 
counted  and  recorded.  If  at  the  end  of  10  or  12  days 
there  remain  ten  or  more  seeds  that  have  not 
sprouted,  the  lot  of  seed  from  which  the  seed  was 
taken  is  not  fit  for  planting  and  should  be  rejected. 


26  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

A  corn  germinator  or  a  cigar  box  filled  with  sand 
will  serve  equally  as  well  for  testing  the  seed.  Fill 
the  box  to  within  one  inch  of  the  top  with  moist  sand 
and  distribute  the  100  seeds  uniformly  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  sand.  Cover  the  seed  to  a  depth  of  one- 
half  inch  with  a  layer  of  moist  sand,  keep  moist, 
and  at  the  end  of  10  or  12  days  count  the  number  of 
plants  growing  up  from  the  sand.  The  sand  box 
method  is  to  be  preferred,  since  the  conditions  ob- 
tained are  more  nearly  like  the  field  than  those 
secured  by  the  use  of  the  cloth  and  the  plates. 


CHAPTER  VII 
ENEMIES  OF  BROOM-CORN 

Weeds  are  very  troublesome  in  broom-corn  cul- 
ture on  account  of  the  slow  early  growth  of  the 
plants.  For  this  reason  the  crop  should  be  planted 
on  clean  ground  if  possible,  and  every  precaution 
should  be  taken  to  keep  the  weeds  in  check  until 
the  plants  are  several  inches  high. 

Broom-corn  is  sometimes  attacked  by  a  smut 
(Sphacelotheca  sorghi)  which  does  great  damage  by 
filling  the  seed  heads  with  a  mass  of  black  spores. 
This  injures  the  brush  as  well  as  destroys  the  seed. 
Like  the  smut  of  wheat  this  disease  is  transmitted 
through  the  seed  and  may  be  controlled  by  the  use 
of  formalin  or  by  the  hot  water  treatment. 

For  the  formalin  treatment  mix  four  ounces  or 
one- fourth  of  a  pint  of  formalin  (40  per  cent)  with 
10  gallons  of  water.  This  will  make  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  the  solution  to  treat  10  or  12  bushels  of 
seed. 

Place  seed  to  be  treated  on  clean-swept,  tight  floor 
in  piles  of  convenient  size  to  be  stirred  throughout. 

Sprinkle  the  formalin  solution  from  sprinkling 
can  or  nozzle  upon  the  pile,  stirring  to  bottom  of 
pile,  until  all  possible  is  absorbed.  After  a  few  min- 
utes' interval  repeat  the  operations  of  sprinkling  and 
stirring ;  these  are  again  repeated  until  at  least  three 
quarts  of  solution  per  bushel  of  grain  has  been 
absorbed.  One  gallon  per  bushel  is  not  too  much. 

27 


28  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

The  pile  is  then  covered  with  cloth  or  canvas  for 
about  two  hours ;  the  covering  is  then  removed  and 
the  grain  stirred  at  intervals  by  shoveling  over  to 
dry  it.  It  is  then  ready  to  plant  at  any  time. 

In  handling  treated  grain  do  not  get  it  again 
smutted.  The  shovel,  the  drill,  the  grain  bags  and 
any  other  portions  of  floor  used  should  be  sterilized 
by  use  of  the  formalin  solution.  The  bags  may  be 
soaked  in  it  for  half  an  hour  and  the  others  treated 
by  sprinkling. 

If  preferred,  the  bags  of  grain  may  be  dipped  in  the 
formalin  solution  contained  in  a  suitable  vessel ; 
after  thorough  immersing  the  bags  should  be  left  in 
the  formalin  for  10  minutes,  then  withdrawn,  the 
grain  allowed  to  stand  2  hours  in  the  bags  and  then 
spread  to  dry  on  a  sterile  surface. 

A  less  convenient  method,  but  just  as  effective  to 
kill  smut,  is  to  dip  the  bags  of  grain  for  10  minutes 
in  hot  water  at  a  temperature  of  133  degrees  Fahren- 
heit, then  dry  on  sterilized  surface. 

The  chinch  bug  and  the  plant  louse  are  the  prin- 
cipal insect  enemies  of  broom-corn.  Crop  rotation 
and  the  cleaning  up  and  burning  of  all  rubbish  in  the 
fields  and  fence  rows  will  usually  hold  these  enemies 
in  check. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
HARVESTING  BROOM-CORN 

Time  to  Harvest. — To  secure  brush  of  high  qual- 
ity and  good  green  color  the  plants  should  be 
harvested  while  in  bloom  and  during  the  period 
when  the  anthers  are  falling.  When  cut  at  this 
stage  of  maturity  practically  no  seed  is  secured,  so 
it  becomes  necessary  to  leave  a  sufficient  number 
of  plants  in  the  field  to  ripen  for  seed,  or  to  grow 
a  separate  seed  patch  in  which  the  heads  are  allowed 
to  come  to  full  maturity.  The  latter  method  of 
seed  production  is  to  be  preferred,  since  the  seed 
patch  gives  a  better  opportunity  to  exercise  care  in 
the  selection  of  good  seed  plants. 

In  the  states  where  broom-corn  is  grown  exten- 
sively the  crop  will  be  ready  to  harvest  at  a  time 
when  it  will  not  seriously  interfere  with  the  other 
work ;  that  is,  just  after  the  wheat  and  oats  are  out 
of  the  way  and  before  the  corn  is  ready  to  harvest. 
Where  large  areas  are  devoted  to  broom-corn  a  very 
large  force  of  men  is  necessary  to  get  the  crop  har- 
vested while  it  is  at  the  proper  stage  of  maturity. 
However,  if  several  plantings  are  made  at  intervals 
of  ten  days,  the  fields  will  not  blossom  at  the  same 
time  and  the  plants  may  be  harvested  at  the  proper 
time  with  the  minimum  number  of  extra  men. 

In  California  and  in  a  few  other  sections  the  seeds 
are  allowed  to  ripen  before  the  brush  is  harvested. 

29 


30 


HARVESTING    BROOM-CORN  3! 

By  this  means  about  one  ton  of  seed  to  the  acre 
may  be  secured,  but  the  quality  of  the  brush  is  such 
that  it  rarely  brings  more  than  half  the  market 
price  of  good  green  brush  which  has  been  harvested 
at  the  early  bloom  stage.  The  seed  secured  in  this 
manner  is  used  as  feed  for  hogs  and  poultry  and  is 
sometimes  ground  into  a  fine  meal  and  used  as  a 
breadstuff. 

The  practice  of  growing  broom-corn  for  grain 
production  is  of  doubtful  value,  since  a  much  better 
crop  can  be  secured  by  seeding  the  land  to  kafir  corn, 
a  crop  which  has  been  improved  and  developed  for 
seed  production. 

The  harvesting  of  broom-corn  comprises  three 
operations:  (i)  cutting  or  pulling;  (2)  threshing; 
and  (3)  baling. 

The  cost  of  bringing  the  broom-corn  up  to  the 
harvest  period  is  about  the  same  as  the  cost  of  pro- 
ducing a  crop  of  corn,  but  experienced  growers 
claim  that  the  former  crop  requires  $3  to  $4  extra 
expense  an  acre  for  the  harvesting.  After  the 
bloom  stage  is  reached  the  quality  of  the  brush 
deteriorates  rapidly,  hence  it  is  necessary  to  employ 
a  large  force  of  men  in  order  to  get  the  crop  all 
harvested  at  the  proper  stage  of  development. 

Cutting  or  Pulling. — In  Oklahoma  and  in  other 
localities  where  the  dwarf  type  of  broom-corn  is 
grown  it  is  more  convenient  to  pull  the  heads  from 
the  inclosing  sheath  than  to  cut  the  head  off  with 
a  knife  and  then  remove  the  sheath  which  incloses, 
the  lower  part  of  the  head.  If  the  seed  is  selected 
carefully  from  plants  ripening  at  the  same  time,  a 


HARVESTING   BROOM-CORN  33 

crop  may  be  secured  which  will  ripen  so  evenly  that 
the  entire  field  may  be  harvested  at  the  same  time 
by  pulling  the  brush  and  loading  it  into  the  wagons 
directly.  Unless  precaution  is  taken  to  secure  a  uni- 
form stand  of  plants  that  will  ripen  evenly,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  go  through  the  field  two  or  three 
times,  each  time  pulling  the  heads  that  have  reached 
the  proper  stage  of  development.  The  heads  should 
be  placed  in  piles  on  the  ground  and  shaded  by  a 
covering  of  stalks  and  blades. 

Because  of  the  partially  inclosed  head  of  the  dwarf 
varieties  they  are  easily  injured  by  rain  at  this 
period.  The  sheath  around  the  head  holds  moisture 
and  causes  the  brush  to  turn  red,  which  very  ma- 
terially reduces  its  market  value.  The  greater  height 
of  the  standard  type  makes  it  necessary  to  bring  the 
heads  down  to  a  convenient  height  before  they  are 
harvested.  This  is  accomplished  by  a  process  called 
"tabling."  In  the  harvesting  of  standard  broom- 
corn  three  men  can  usually  work  together  to  good 
advantage,  since  one  man  can  table  as  fast  as  two 
men  can  cut.  One  man  walking  backward  between 
the  rows  in  advance  of  the  cutters,  bends  down  a 
few  stalks  first  from  one  row  and  then  from  the 
other,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  form  a  self-supporting 
table  of  a  convenient  height,  as  shown  in  Figure  8. 
Three  men  working  together  in  this  way  can  cut 
and  table  about  two  acres  per  day.  Rapid  cutting 
is  an  art  that  is  acquired  only  by  long  practice.  The 
operator  passes  down  between  two  tables  and  with 
a  small  sharp  knife  cuts  off  the  heads,  at  a  point 
six  to  eight  inches  below  the  attachment  of  the 


34 


HARVESTING   BROOM-CORN  35 

straws.  When  the  upper  leaf  sheath  surrounds  the 
shank  it  is  important  that  the  knife  cut  through  a 
sufficient  distance  to  sever  the  head  but  leave  the 
sheath  partially  attached,  so  that  it  will  be  left  be- 
hind when  the  head  is  removed.  A  leather  stall  is 
worn  on  the  right  forefinger,  so  that  by  grasping  the 
stalk  between  the  finger  and  the  knifeblade  the  head 
may  be  severed  by  a  pressure  of  the  thumb  on  the 
back  of  the  knife  blade.  Not  less  than  six  inches  of 
stem  should  be  left  below  the  attachment  of  the 
straws,  but  if  more  than  eight  inches  of  shank  is  left 
the  value  of  the  brush  is  decreased. 

As  the  brush  is  cut  it  is  laid  in  small  piles  on  alter- 
nate tables.  The  brush  is  so  placed  as  to  be  within 
easy  reach  from  either  side  as  a  wagon  is  driven  over 
the  empty  table  between. 

Figure  9  shows  the  tabled  broom-corn  ready  for 
the  cutters,  and  Figure  10  shows  the  cut  brush  piled 
on  the  table  and  ready  to  be  loaded  as  the  wagon  is 
driven  over  the  empty  table  to  the  right  in  the 
photograph. 

Hauling. — Since  the  quality  of  the  brush  is  in- 
jured by  rain,  it  is  essential  that  the  cut  brush  should 
be  hauled  to  the  scraper,  seeded  and  put  in  curing 
sheds  as  soon  .as  possible.  In  some  sections  the 
brush  is  cured  out  of  doors,  but  this  method  pro- 
duces a  bleached  head  of  very  poor  quality  and  one 
that  will  not  command  the  full  market  price. 

Where  broom-corn  is  grown  on  a  limited  scale  an 
ordinary  handy  wagon  may  be  used  to  haul  the 
brush,  but  where  the  crop  is  grown  on  an  extensive 
scale  a  dump  wagon  (Figure  n)  is  usually  em- 


j6  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

ployed.  As  the  wagon  is  driven  over  the  empty 
table  a  man  on  either  side  loads  on  the  piles  of  brush 
from  the  adjacent  tables.  The  seed  heads  are  piled 
on  the  rack  in  a  double  row  with  the  butts  lapping 
at  the  middle  in  order  to  hold  the  piles  in  place.  By 
means  of  the  dumping  arrangement  shown  in  the 
cut,  the  work  of  unloading  is  accomplished  very 
quickly.  After  dropping  a  lever  to  the  ground  the 


Fig.  11.    Dump  wagon  for  hauling  the  brush  from  the  field. 

wagon  is  pulled  forward  until  the  bed  is  shoved 
back  and  tilted  so  that  the  rear  end  rests  on  the 
ground.  The  end  gate  is  now  removed  and  a  second 
forward  movement  of  the  wagon  allows  the  brush 
to  slip  off  onto  the  ground  in  the  same  order  as  it 
was  piled  on  the  wagon. 

Sorting. — During  harvest  a  number  of  plants  will 
be  found  bearing  heads  with  coarse  thick  centers 
or  with  brush  so  snarly  as  to  be  of  no  value.  These 
plants  should  be  discarded  and  left  in  the  field  uncut. 
In  addition  to  these  useless  plants  there  will  always 


HARVESTING    BROOM-CORN 


37 


be  found  a  small  percentage  of  crooked  brush  which 
must  be  sorted  out  before  the  crop  is  marketed. 

The  amount  of  crooked  brush  is  greatly  increased 
if  the  harvesting  is  delayed  until  the  seeds  are  well 
formed,  since  the  weight  of  the  seed  may  become 
sufficient  to  cause  the  straws  to  bend  over  just  above 

the     attachment     to     the  . 

stem,  as  shown  at  L,  Fig- 
ure 3.  The  same  result 
may  be  produced  by  wet 
weather  just  before  har- 
vest time.  The  weight  of 
water  which  clings  to  the 
heads  may  be  sufficient  to 
bend  the  straw  down- 
ward. 

In  regions  where  the 
seed  is  allowed  to  ripen 
the  plants  are  broken  over 
before  the  seed  is  formed, 
so  that  the  heads  may 
hang  pendent  and  produce 
a  straight  brush  as  well 
as  a  crop  of  seed. 

The  separation  of  the  crooked  brush  from  the 
straight  heads  can  be  accomplished  most  easily 
while  the  heads  are  in  small  piles  in  the  field,  where 
it  is  easy  to  distinguish  the  inferior  material.  The 
two  grades  resulting  from  this  sorting  should  be 
handled  and  marketed  separately,  since  a  few 
crooked  heads  will  lower  the  value  of  the  entire 
bale.  The  crooked  material  will  sell  for  about  half 


Fig.   12.     Small  power  scraper  for 
removing  seeds  from  the  brush. 


HARVESTING   BROOM-CORN  39 

as  much  as  the  straight  heads,  and  is  much  more 
difficult  to  bale ;  hence  it  is  quite  desirable  that 
the  crop  should  contain  a  minimum  amount  of 
crooked  heads.  Careful  seed  selection  and  prompt 
harvesting  at  the  bloom  stage  will  have  a  tendency 
to  reduce  the  number  of  undesirable  heads. 

Scraping  or  Threshing. — Before  the  broom-corn 
can  be  baled  and  marketed  the  seed  must  be  re- 
moved from  the  brush.  This  is  accomplished  by 
bringing  the  seed  heads  in  contact  with  a  revolving 
cylinder  the  surface  of  which  is  set  with  spikes  or 
long  teeth,  as  shown  in  Figure  12.  If  the  acreage  is 
limited  this  small  power  machine  or  a  hand  scraper 
will  be  sufficient  to  thresh  the  crop,  but  where 
broom-corn  is  grown  extensively  a  large  power  out- 
fit (Figure  13)  is  required.  A  thresher  of  this  kind 
costs  about  $200  and  has  a  daily  capacity  of  30  to  40 
acres  if  15  to  20  men  are  provided  to  handle  the 
material.  In  this  process  the  heads  do  not  pass 
between  the  revolving  cylinders,  as  in  the  case  of  a 
grain  thresher.  The  brush  is  held  firmly  by  a 
toothed  belt  which  brings  the  seed  heads  into  con- 
tact with  the  cylinders  in  such  a  manner  as  to  thor- 
oughly remove  the  seed.  After  passing  the  cylinder 
the  brush  is  deposited  on  a  platform  at  the  side 
opposite  to  the  point  of  entrance.  The  seed  is  col- 
lected at  the  bottom  of  the  machine  and  removed  by 
a  conveyer  situated  at  the  end  of  the  machine  oppo- 
site the  cylinders. 

Curing  and  Bulking. — From  the  thresher  the  brush 
is  taken  to  drying  sheds,  where  it  should  be  allowed 
to  cure  for  three  or  four  weeks  before  it  is  baled. 


HARVESTING    BROOM-CORN 


It  is  essential  that  the  curing  should  proceed 
rapidly,  but  exposure  to  strong  light  will  destroy  the 
fresh  color  which  is  demanded  by  the  manufacturer. 
Brush  that  has  been  long  exposed  to  the  weather  or 
cured  in  the  field  is  very 
inferior  in  quality  and 
does  not  command  a  good 
price  on  the  market. 

In  the  important 
broom-corn  sections  spe- 
cial curing  sheds  are  pro- 
vided. The  building 
shown  in  Figure  14  is 
typical  of  the  Illinois 
region  and  exhibits  the 
essential  features  of  a 
good  shed,  namely,  a 
tight  roof  with  wide  pro- 
jecting eaves  and  ample 
provision  for  the  free  cir- 
culation of  air. 

To  care  for  20  acres  of 
broom-corn  will  require 
a  shed  about  24  feet  long,  16  feet  wide  and  10  feet 
high  to  the  eaves.  A  second  20  acres  may  be  cured 
in  this  shed  the  same  season  if  the  planting  is  so 
arranged  as  to  have  the  second  field  ready  for 
harvest  three  or  four  weeks  later  than  the  first  plant- 
ing, since  the  first  crop  will  be  ready  to  bulk  down 
by  the  time  the  second  planting  has  reached  the 
harvest  stage. 

During  the  curing  season  these  sheds  are  used 


Fig.  15.  Interior  of  a  shed  in 
which  light  poles  are  used  for 
shelves.  The  brush  is  piled  in 
thin  layers  to  permit  a  free 
circulation  of  air. 


HARVESTING   BROOM-CORN  43 

exclusively  for  broom-corn,  but  during  the 
remainder  of  the  year  they  may  be  used  for  hay 
barns  or  for  the  storage  of  machinery. 

A  common  method  of  construction  is  to  support 
the  roof  by  means  of  uprights  placed  eight  feet  apart, 
and  nail  to  these  uprights  narrow  strips  4  inches 
apart  and  running  lengthwise  of  the  shed.  A  large 
number  of  slats  or  strips  2  inches  wide  and  8  feet 
long  are  provided  for  shelves  upon  which  the  brush 
is  to  rest.  But  these  are  not  put  in  place  until  the 
shed  is  being  filled.  Beginning  near  the  ground  the 
first  shelf  is  formed  by  placing  two  of  these  strips 
across  the  section  parallel  to  each  other  and  about 
i  foot  apart,  with  their  ends  supported  by  the  low- 
est longitudinal  strips.  The  brush  is  then  spread 
evenly  over  this  shelf  to  the  depth  of  3  inches,  and 
then  a  second  shelf  is  constructed  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  the  first.  This  process  is  repeated  until  the 
entire  shed  is  filled  with  shelves  4  inches  apart  and 
each  carrying  a  layer  of  brush  three  inches  deep.  It 
is  necessary  to  keep  the  layers  thin,  in  order  to 
secure  a  good  air  circulation  and  thus  facilitate  the 
curing  and  drying  of  the  brush. 

Figure  15  shows  the  interior  of  an  Ohio  shed  in 
which  the  shelves  have  been  constructed  of  light 
poles  instead  of  sawed  strips. 

If  warm,  dry,  weather  prevails  the  brush  will  be 
ready  to  bulk  down  in  three  or  four  weeks.  It 
should  not  be  taken  from  the  shelves,  however,  until 
the  stems  show  no  signs  of  moisture  when  squeezed 
or  twisted.  If  left  on  the  slats  in  the  curing  shed  too 


44 


BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 


long,  the  quality  of  the  brush  will  be  injured  by 
bleaching. 

In  the  bulking  process  the  brush  is  removed  from 
the  shelves  and  piled  in  straight,  compact  ricks,  from 
which  it  is  taken  direct  to  the  baler  as  soon  as  it  is 
thoroughly  dry. 


Fig.  17.     A  well-constructed  bale  of  broom-corn   as   it  was   received   at   the 
factory. 

Baling. — Practically  all  of  the  broom-corn  grown 
in  the  United  States  is  marketed  in  the  bale.  In 
the  process  of  baling  the  brush  is  compressed  into 
tight  packages  and  bound  with  wire.  This  is  usu- 
ally accomplished  by  means  of  a  horse  or  hand- 
power  machine  which  requires  a  force  of  six  or  eight 
men  for  its  operation  at  full  capacity. 


HARVESTING   BROOM-CORN  45 

The  broom-corn  is  taken  up  from  the  bulk  by 
small  arm  loads  and  after  butting  the  brush  (Figure 
14)  it  is  passed  to  the  man  in  the  baler  (Figure  16), 
who  builds  up  a  double  tier  with  the  butt  ends  of  the 
brush  to  the  outside  and  the  tops  lapping  at  the  cen- 
ter. After  the  pressure  has  been  applied,  heavy  No. 
9  wire  is  passed  around  the  bale  at  five  different 
points.  It  is  necessary  to  use  large  wire  to  prevent 
the  brush  from  being  cut.  The  bale  as  it  comes 
from  the  press  is  usually  about  45  inches  in  length 
and  width  by  24  inches  in  thickness,  and  weighs  300 
to  400  pounds,  with  an  average  of  about  340  pounds. 
Figure  17  shows  the  appearance  of  a  properly  con- 
structed bale. 

With  a  crew  of  seven  or  eight  men  a  good  horse- 
power baler  will  put  up  10  tons  per  day.  Manu- 
facturers are  becoming  more  exacting  in  their  re- 
quirements that  the  broom-corn  which  they  buy 
shall  have  been  thoroughly  seeded  and  properly 
baled.  An  average-sized  bale  will  make  about  15 
dozen  brooms. 


ft- 

n 


4C 


CHAPTER  IX 
BROOM-CORN  BY-PRODUCTS 

In  sections  where  the  plants  are  allowed  to  ripen 
the  broom-corn  seed  is  used  for  feed,  but  in  the  im- 
portant broom-corn  producing  sections  the  brush  is 
harvested  during  the  blossom  stage,  and  very  little 
seed  is  secured. 

Feeding  tests  with  the  fodder  of  standard  broom- 
corn  has  shown  that  the  stalks  are  woody  and  un- 
palatable, and  that  they  are  of  little  value  for  feed- 
ing purposes.  But  if  cut  immediately  after  the  brush 
is  harvested  the  dwarf  varieties  produce  a  fodder 
almost  equal  in  feeding  value  to  corn  stover.  Fig- 
ure 18  shows  a  field  of  dwarf  broom-corn  which  has 
been  cut  and  shocked.  After  threshing  the  stalks 
may  be  used  for  forage. 

In  1909  the  United  States  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture began  a  series  of  tests  to  determine  the  value  of 
broom-corn  stalks  for  the  manufacture  of  paper. 
Since  broom-corn  has  been  selected  for  the  produc- 
tion of  a  larger  quantity  and  a  better  quality  of 
brush,  it  is  natural  that  the  production  of  fiber  in 
one  part  should  be  correlated  with  a  higher  quality 
of  fiber  in  the  whole  plant.  As  a  result  of  these 
experiments  it  was  found  that  the  broom-corn  stalk 
is  suitable,  so  far  as  quality  and  yield  of  pulp  is 
concerned,  for  immediate  use  in  paper  making.  It 
reduces  to  pulp  rapidly  and  with  a  small  consump- 

47 


48  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

tion  of  steam  and  chemicals,  the  time  being  three 
to  four  hours  as  compared  with  eight  to  twelve 
hours  for  wood  pulp. 

The  most  serious  disadvantage  is  the  limited  pro- 
duction of  the  raw  material,  the  total  of  which  does 
not  amount  to  more  than  1,000  tons  for  the  entire 
United  States. 

The  stalks  when  extracted  for  an  hour  under  steam 
pressure,  yield  a  quantity  of  soluble  solids  which 
contain  practically  all  of  the  food  value  of  the  raw 
material.  These  tests  indicate  that  if  they  can  be 
secured  in  sufficiently  large  quantities,  the  broom- 
corn  stalks  can  be  pulped  at  a  profit  without  taking 
into  consideration  the  value  of  the  food  extract. 


CHAPTER  X 
THE  MANUFACTURE  OF  BROOMS 

In  former  years  many  farmers  raised  a  small 
quantity  of  broom-corn  for  the  purpose  of  supplying 
their  household  with  brooms.  The  crop  was  har- 
vested, cured  and  made  into  brooms  by  the  farmer 
and  the  members  of  his  family.  In  some  cases  the 
entire  manufacturing  process  was  completed  with- 
out the  aid  of  machinery,  while  in  other  cases  the 
handling  of  the  crop  was  facilitated  by  the  use  of 
very  simple  homemade  machines  which  were 
operated  by  hand. 

According  to  the  Twelfth  Census,  there  are  in  the 
United  States  1,526  broom  and  brush  manufacturing 
establishments,  with  a  capital  of  $9,616,000.  Among 
the  states,  Illinois  takes  the  lead  with  156  factories, 
representing  a  total  capital  of  $500,000. 

At  the  present  time  the  manufacture  of  brooms 
in  the  home  has  been  almost  entirely  superseded  by 
the  factory  method.  And  hand  machines  have  been 
supplanted  by  power  machines.  With  the  hand 
machines  one  man  can  make  seven  or  eight  dozen 
brooms  per  day,  while  with  power  machines  the 
process  is  divided  between  several  operators  and 
the  output  very  much  increased.  Some  of  the  larger 
manufacturing  establishments  turn  out  more  than 
a  thousand  dozen  finished  brooms  per  day. 

Homemade  Brooms. — Several  years  ago  a  writer 


50  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

for  the  American  Agriculturist  gave  the  following 
directions  for -,  making  brooms  by  hand:  "When 
ready  to  go  to  work,  take  as  much  as  will  be  needed 
for  the  number  of  brooms  to  be  made,  and  set  the 
stalk  portions  in  water  up  to  the  brush,  and  leave 
them  to  soak  an  hour  or  two.  When  softened,  gather 
in  the  hands  enough  for  a  broom,  with  the  largest 
and  best  stalks  on  the  outside  in  regular  order.  The 
good  appearance  of  the  broom  when  finished  will 
depend  upon  the  evenness  of  the  brush  and  proper 
arrangement  of  the  outside  layers.  Next,  fasten  a 
strong  small  cord  to  the  ceiling,  with  a  loop  for  the 
foot  in  the  lower  end,  or  tie  a  stick  to  the  cord  as  a 
sort  of  treadle  upon  which  to  place  the  foot.  Wind 
this  cord  two  or  three  times  around  the  brush. 
Grasp  the  brush  firmly  in  both  hands  and  roll  it 
around  several  times,  increasing  the  pressure  with 
the  foot.  Instead  of  the  foot,  some  use  a  lever  upon 
the  lower  end  of  the  cord,  one  end  of  the  lever  being 
placed  under  the  work-bench,  and  the  other  held  by 
a  boy,  who  can  give  the  required  pressure.  The 
next  operation  is  to  wind  on  a  strong  twine  for  a 
space  of  il/2  or  2  inches.  This  is  best  done  by  rolling 
the  pressing  cord  close  up  next  to  the  brush,  wind 
the  twine  on,  and  roll  off  the  cord  towards  the  end, 
following  it  with  the  twine.  To  make  a  neat  knot 
at  the  end,  double  one  end  of  the  twine  and  lay  it 
along  the  outside  of  the  stalks,  letting  the  loose  end 
lie  out  at  the  left.  W7hen  the  twine  is  all  on,  slip 
the  right  end  through  the  loop,  and  draw  the  left 
end  so  as  to  bring  the  loop  in  under  the  coil  of  twine ; 
then  cut  off  the  two  ends  close  in  to  the  coil.  No 


THE    MANUFACTURE   OF    BROOMS 


knot  will  now  be  visible,  as  the  loop  is  out  of  sight, 
and  the  ends  are  securely  fastened. 

"If  a  flat  broom  is  to  be  made,  which  is  usually  the 
desirable  form,  press  the  brush  part  between  two 
narrow  boards  fastened  near  -together  at  one  end 
with  a  piece  of  strong  leather  nailed  on  very 
securely.  The  other  end  of  the  boards  may  be  held 


Fig.  19.     Tread-power  machine  for  the  manufacture  of  brooms  by  hand. 

together  with  a  string.  Instead  of  these  boards,  the 
brush  may  be  put  between  two  short  boards,  and 
screwed  into  a  vise.  The  sewing  is  the  next  step. 
For  this,  a  large  needle  of  iron  or  steel  will  be  re- 
quired, or  one  of  strong  hard  wood  will  answer,  it 
should  be  six  to  eight  inches  in  length.  At  the  point 
where  you  wish  to  fasten  the  brush  portion,  say 
three  or  four  inches  below  the  winding  cord,  wind  a 


52  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

twine  once,  or  better  twice  around,  and  tie  it  firmly, 
leaving  enough  of  one  end  to  sew  with.  Now  sew 
through  and  through  the  brush,  letting  the  twine 
at  each  stitch  pass  around  the  portion  you  have  tied 
on,  Point  the  needle  forward  in  making  each  stitch 
so  as  to  have  it  come  out  on  the  opposite  side  a  little 
further  along  each  time.  A  second  twine  may  be 
tied  around,  and  a  second  sewing  may  then  be  made 


Fig.  20.     Broom-corn  sizer  for  assorting  the  brush  according  to  length. 

further  towards  the  lower  end.  Three  sewings  are 
sometimes  made.  Two  will  generally  be  enough, 
except  where  the  brush  is  very  long.  The  broom 
is  now  ready  for  its  handle.  To  put  this  in  place, 
sharpen  the  lower  end  of  the  handle,  and  drive  it 
exactly  in  the  center  of  the  neck  of  the  broom,  and 
fasten  it  with  two  small  nails  upon  opposite  sides, 
and  the  broom  is  complete.  The  lower  ends  of  the 
brush  may  need  clipping  a  little  to  make  them  even. 


THE    MANUFACTURE   OF   BROOMS  55 

With  a  little  practice  a  very  neat  broom  may  thus 
be  made.  They  may  be  made  still  more  tasteful, 
though  not  stronger  nor  more  durable,  by  using  wire 
instead  of  twine,  and  by  paring  down  the  stalks,  so 
as  to  make  a  smaller,  neater  shank." 

A  slightly  different  method  is  described  by  an- 
other writer  to  the  same  paper.  He  says:  "Put 
the  butt-ends  of  the  brush  in  warm  water  to  soak 
awhile.  When  sufficiently  softened,  tack  one  end 
of  a  strong  twine  to  the  broom  handle,  about  three 
inches  from  its  lower  end.  Fasten  the  other  end  of 
the  string,  which  is  about  two  feet  long,  to  a  small 
round  stick  upon  which  you  step  with  both  feet.  Lay 
on  the  brush,  one  stalk  at  a  time,  and  give  the  handle 
a  turn  sufficient  to  hold  each  new  stalk  firmly.  Con- 
tinue putting  on  and  winding,  until  three  layers  have 
been  secured,  pulling  upward  as  the  handle  is  turned 
to  tighten  the  string.  Now  commence  another  row 
nearer  the  lower  end  of  the  handle,  and  proceed  as 
before,  finishing  the  third  course  or  tier  with  the 
longest  and  finest  brush.  Wind  the  cord  around 
snugly  a  few  times  after  the  brush  is  all  on,  and 
fasten  the  end  with  a  carpet  tack.  To  make  a  broad 
or  flat  broom,  more  of  the  brush  may  be  put  upon 
two  opposite  sides  than  upon  the  other  portions. 
Then  tie  the  two  ends  of  a  string  the  right  length, 
slip  it  over  the  handle,  and  to  a  suitable  place  upon 
the  broom,  and  sew.  You  now  have  as  neat  a  broom 
as  you  can  buy,  and  stronger  than  most  of  those  in  the 
market.  With  a  little  practice  they  can  be  made 
very  quickly.  Wire  can  be  used  instead  of  twine." 


54  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

Factory-Made  Brooms. — At  the  present  time 
practically  all  of  the  broom-corn  grown  in  the 
United  States  is  manufactured  into  brooms  in  large 
factories  which  are  equipped  with  machines  for 
handling  the  crop  in  an  economical  manner. 


Fig.  21.     Broom-winding  machine  used  in  large  factories. 

In  some  of  the  small  factories  the  machines  are 
operated  by  hand,  but  the  larger  establishments 
make  use  of  power  machines  for  all  of  the  processes 
of  converting  the  raw  material  into  finished  brooms 
or  whisks.  Figure  19  shows  a  tread-power  machine 


THE    MANUFACTURE  OF   BROOMS  55 

by  which  one  man  can  make  from  six  to  eight  dozen 
brooms  per  day.  It  consists  of  a  table  with  a  pro- 
jecting wing  under  which  is  a  revolving  hollow 
shaft,  which  serves  as  a  socket  (a)  to  receive  the 
broom  handle.  The  socket  is  revolved  by  means  of 
a  belt  from  the  treadle  (b). 

The  broom-handle  is  placed  in  this  socket,  with 
seven  or  eight  inches  of  the  butt  exposed,  and  held 
fast  by  a  setscrew.  A  tack  is  driven  part  way  in, 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  from  the  end  of  the  handle, 
and  the  wire  wound  around  it ;  the  tack  is  then 
driven  down,  and  the  wire  thus  fastened.  The  han- 
dle is  revolved  two  or  three  times  to  give  the  wire 
a  firm  hold  around  it  before  any  brush  is  put  on. 
The  wire  is  wound  on  a  reel,  shown  in  the  engraving 
at  c,  passes  around  three  pulleys,  by  which  the 
requisite  tension  is  procured,  and  then  passes  to  the 
broom  handle.  When  the  wire  is  properly  fastened, 
the  operator  takes  a  handful  of  coarse,  rough  brush, 
and  holds  the  stalks  beneath  the  wire  as  the  handle 
turns,  spreading  them  smoothly,  and  pounding  them 
down  closely  with  a  flat  pounder,  made  something 
like  a  common  potato  masher,  which  is  used  in 
kitchens,  but  is  flat  or  oval  instead  of  round.  This 
brush  is  the  filling,  and  about  three  small  handfuls 
are  needed  for  each  broom.  The  wire  should  be 
wound  around  the  filling  three  or  four  times,  and  as 
the  brush  revolves  the  stalks  are  smoothed  off  with 
a  sharp  knife  just  above  the  last  turn  of  the  wire. 
The  wire  is  then  slipped  off  the  brush  on  to  the 
handle,  and  wound  around  it  once  about  half  an  inch 
above  the  smoothed  end  of  the  stalks.  Then  a  hand- 


BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 


ful  of  the  sorted  brush,  suitable  for  the  kind  of 
broom  to  be  made,  is  taken  in  the  left  hand,  and 
with  the  knife  the  stalks  are  cut  half  through  with 
a  sloping  cut  half  an  inch  above  the  straw,  and  the 


Fig.  22.    Broom  stitcher.    Capacity,  four  to  seven  dozen  brooms  per  hour. 

half  of  the  stalk  split  off.  The  stalks  are  then  placed 
beneath  the  wire  so  that  it  may  be  wound  exactly  over 
where  they  were  cut.  The  treadle  is  turned  until 
the  stalks  are  all  bound  on,  when  another  handful 


THE   MANUFACTURE   OF   BROOMS 


57 


is  taken  and  treated  precisely  the  same  way,  and 
then  finally  another  handful.  Each  handful  consists 
of  six  or  eight  stalks,  and  they  should  be  placed 
smoothly  and  close  together  under  the  wire.  The 
wire  is  bound  evenly  around  the  stalks  until  there 
is  sufficient  to  hold  the  broom  firmly  together,  when 
it  is  fastened  with  a  tack  as  at  the  commencement. 
The  pounder  is  constantly  used  to  pack  the  brush. 

The   broom   is   now   round   in    form,   and   must 
be  placed  between  a  pair  of  clamps  and  securely 
stitched.    When  the  stitch- 
ing  has    been    completed 
the    broom    is     removed 
from     the     clamps     and 
trimmed  by   means   of  a 
clipping  machine,   shown 
in  Figure  23. 

In  the  large  factories 
the  broom-corn  is  taken 
directly  from  the  bale  and 
fed  into  a  sizer  similar  to 
the  one  shown  in  Figure 
20.  This  machine  cuts 

off  the  extra  lengths  of  stalks  and  distributes  each 
size  of  corn  into  separate  compartments,  sorting  it 
into  seven  lengths,  from  eleven  inches  upward.  One- 
eighth  horsepower  is  required  to  operate  a  machine 
which  will  size  from  1,000  to  1,500  pounds  of  brush 
a  day.  A  broom-winding  machine  such  as  used  in 
large  factories  is  shown  in  Figure  21.  A  good 
broom  maker,  with  the  aid  of  a  boy,  can  wind  five 
hundred  brooms  per  day  with  this  equipment. 


Fig.  23.     Clipper  for  trimming  the 
ends  of  the  brooms. 


58  BROOM-CORN    CULTURE 

Figure  22  is  the  rear  view  of  a  power  stitcher 
which  has  a  capacity  of  from  four  to  seven  dozen 
brooms  per  hour,  according  to  the  skill  of  the 
operator  and  the  style  and  the  size  of  the  broom 
being  sewed.  All  sizes  and  shapes  of  brooms  may 
be  stitched  on  this  machine  by  simply  changing  the 
shaping  jaws  which  clamp  the  broom  in  position. 

In  addition  to  these  machines  a  factory  should 
have  a  hurl  cutter  and  sizer,  broom  clippers  (Fig- 
ure 23),  and  a  power  scraper  for  removing  the  seed 
from  the  brush  that  has  been  carelessly  handled 
before  shipment.  The  power  scraper  shown  in  Fig- 
ure 24  is  provided  with  a  fan  for  carrying  away  the 
seeds  and  dust.  The  fan  should  be  connected  with 
a  chute  leading  outside  of  the  room  in  which  the 
scraper  is  being  operated. 


Fig.  24.     Small  power  scraper  with   fan   for  car- 
rying away  the  seeds  and  dust. 


INDEX 


Page 

Bales,  size  and  weight ^ 45 

Baling  the  brush 44 

Broom-corn,  insect  enemies  of 28 

description  of  the  plant 6 

price  fluctuation 4 

varieties 6 

Broom  factories  in  the  United  States 49 

Broom  machines,  hand 55 

power 57 

Brooms,  factory-made  49 

home  made 49 

Brush,  causes  of  crooked 37 

curing  and  bulking . 39 

scraping  or  threshing 39 

sorting  of 36 

By-products  of  broom-corn 47 

Center  of  production 1 

Chinch  bug,  enemy  of  broom-corn 28 

Choice  of  land 14 

Climatic  conditions,  dependence  upon 12 

Clipper,  broom  58 

Cultivation  of  broom-corn 18 

frequency  and  method 19 

Curing  the  brush 39 

Cutting  the  brush 33 

Date  of  planting 16 

Dump  wagon  for  hauling  broom-corn 36 

Dwarf  broom-corn  6 

characteristics  9 

uses 7 

Enemies  of  broom-corn 27 

Export  trade 5 

Fodder,  broom-corn  47 

Harvesting  broom-corn 29 

bad  results  from  late 37 

cost  of „ 31 

cutting  or  pulling 31 

piling  and  hauling 35 

Hauling  the  brush 35 

Hurl  cutting    58 

Insect  enemies  of  broom-corn 28 

50 


6O  INDEX 


Page 

Land,  choice  of 14 

Machines  used  in  the  manufacture  of  brooms 55 

hurl  cutter  58 

Manufacture  of  brooms 49 

sizing   57 

stitching    57 

winding 57 

Paper  pulp  from  broom-corn  stalks 47 

Piling  the  brush 35 

Plant,  description  of  the  broom-corn 6 

Planting,  date  and  method 16 

Preparation  of  the  seedbed 15 

Price  of  broom-corn 3 

Production  of  broom-corn  in  the  United  States 2 

by  states 4 

center  of 1 

Regions  best  suited  for  different  types 13 

Seed,  harvesting  and  storage 23 

method  of  securing  good 21 

smut  treatment  of 27 

testing  vitality  of 25 

yield  and  weight 23 

Seedbed,  preparation  of 15 

Sheds,  curing,  construction  of 43 

dimensions  of  41 

Sizer 57 

Smut,  treatment  for 27 

Soils  for  broom-corn 12 

Sorting  the  brush  36 

Standard  broom-corn 7 

yield   9 

Stitcher  57 

Storage  of  seed 23 

Tabling  broom-corn : 33 

Threshing  or  scraping  the  brush 39 

Threshing  machines  39 

Types  of  broom-corn 13 

regions  best  suited  to  different  types 13 

Varieties  of  broom-corn 6 

Vitality  of  broom-corn  seed 25 

testing  of 25 

Wagon,  dump,  for  hauling  broom-corn 36 


STANDARD  BOOKS 

PUBLISHED   BY 

ORANGE  JUDD  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 

ASHLAND  BUILDING  PEOPLE'S  GAS  BUILDING 

315-321  Fourth  Avenue  150    Michigan  Avenue 


Any  of  these  books  will  be  sent  by  mail,  postpaid,  to 
any  part  of  the  world,  on  receipt  of  catalog  price.  We  are 
always  happy  to  correspond  with  our  patrons,  and  cordially 
invite  them  to  address  us  on  any  matter  pertaining  to  rural 
booths.  Send  for  our  large  illustrated  catalog,  free  on  appli- 
cation. 

First  Principles  of  Soil  Fertility 

By  ALFRED  VIVIAN.  There  is  no  subject  of  more  vital 
importance  to  the  farmer  than  that  of  the  best  method 
of  maintaining  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  The  very  evident 
decrease  in  the  fertility  of  those  soils  which  have  been 
under  cultivation  for  a  number  of  years,  combined  with 
the  increased  competition  and  the  advanced  price  of  labor, 
have  convinced  the  intelligent  farmer  that  the  agriculture 
of  the  future  must  be  based  upon  more  rational  practices 
than  those  which  have  been  followed  in  the  past.  We 
have  felt  for  some  time  that  there  was  a  place  for  a 
brief,  and  at  the  same  time  comprehensive,  treatise  on 
this  important  subject  of  Soil  Fertility.  Professor  Vivian's 
experience  as  a  teacher  in  the  short  winter  courses  has 
admirably  fitted  him  to  present  this  matter  in  a  popular 
style.  In  this  little  book  he  has  given  the  gist  of  the 
subject  in  plain  language,  practically  devoid  of  technical 
and  scientific  terms.  It  is  pre-eminently  a  "First  Book," 
and  will  be  found  especially  valuable  to  those  who  desire 
an  introduction  to  the  subject,  and  who  intend  to  do  subse- 
quent reading.  Illustrated.  5x7  inches.  265  pages.  Cloth. 

Net,  $1.00 

The  Study  of  Corn 

By  PROF.  V.  M.  SHOESMITH.  A  most  helpful  book  to  all 
farmers  and  students  interested  in  the  selection  and  im- 
provement of  corn.  It  is  profusely  illustrated  from  photo- 
graphs, all  of  which  carry  their  own  story  anj  contribute 
their  part  in  making  pictures  and  text  matter  a  clear,  con- 
cise and  interesting  study  of  corn.  Illustrated.  5x7  inches. 

loo  pages.     Cloth Net,  $0.50 

(l) 


The  Management  and  Feeding  of  Cattle 

By  PROF.  THOMAS  SHAW.  The  place  for  this  book  will 
be  at  once  apparent  when  it  is  stated  that  it  is  the  first 
book  that  has  ever  been  written  which  discusses  the  man- 
agement and  feeding  of  cattle,  from  the  birth  of  the  calf 
until  it  has  fulfilled  its  mission  in  life,  whether  on  the 
block  or  at  the  pail.  The  book  is  handsomely  printed  on 
fine  paper,  from  large,  clear  type.  Fully  illustrated.  5^2x8 
inches.  496  pages.  Cloth Net,  $2.00 

The  Farmer's  Veterinarian 

By  CHARLES  WILLIAM  BURKETT.  This  book  abounds  in 
helpful  suggestions  and  valuable  information  for  the  most 
successful  treatment  of  ills  and  accidents,  and  disease 
troubles.  A  practical  treatise  on  the  diseases  of  farm 
stock;  containing  brief  and  popular  advice  on  the  nature, 
cause  and  treatment  of  disease,  the  common  ailments  and 
the  care  and  management  of  stock  when  sick.  It  is 
profusely  illustrated,  containing  a  number  of  halftone 
illustrations,  and  a  great  many  drawings  picturing  diseases, 
their  symptoms  and  familiar  attitudes  assumed  by  farm 
animals  when  affected  with  disease,  and  presents,  for  the 
first  time,  a  plain,  practical  and  satisfactory  guide  for 
farmers  who  are  interested  in  the  common  diseases  of  the 
farm.  Illustrated.  5x7  inches.  288  pages.  Cloth.  Net,  $1.50. 

First  Lessons  in  Dairying 

By  HUBERT  E.  VAN  NORMAN.  This  splendid  little  book 
has  been  written  from  a  practical  point  of  view,  to  fill 
a  place  in  dairy  literature  long  needed.  It  is  designed 
primarily  as  a  practical  guide  to  successful  dairying,  an 
elementary  text-book  for  colleges  and  for  use  especially 
in  short-course  classes.  It  embodies  underlying  principles 
involved  in  the  handling  of  milk,  delivery  to  factory,  ship- 
ping station,  and  the  manufacture  of  butter  on  the  farm. 
It  is  written  in  a  simple,  popular  way,  being  free  from  tech- 
nical terms,  and  is  easily  understood  by  the  average  farm 
boy.  The  book  is  just  the  thing  for  the  every-day  dairy- 
man, and  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  farmer  in  the 
country.  Illustrated.  5x7  inches.  100  pages.  Cloth.  Net,  $0.50. 

A  Dairy  Laboratory  Guide 

By  H.  E.  Ross.  While  the  book  is  intended  primarily 
for  use  in  the  laboratory,  it  should  be  of  value  to  the 
practical  dairyman.  The  time  has  come  when  the  suc- 
cessful dairyman  must  study  his  business  from  a  purely 
scientific  point  of  view,  and  in  this  book  the  scientific 
principles,  upon  which  dairy  industry  is  based,  are  stated 
clearly  and  simply,  and  wherever  it  is  possible,  these  prin- 
ciples are  illustrated  by  practical  problems  and  examples. 

90  pages.     5x7  inches.     Cloth Net,  $0.50 

(2) 


500 


